1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to an assist mechanism to facilitate the loading and unloading of cargo into vehicles such as vans, pickups and paneled trucks, and in particular for lifting irregularly shaped items such as cylindrical containers, particularly bottles of compressed gas.
2. Background of the Art
Gases such as nitrogen, oxygen, acetylene, carbon dioxide and the like, are typically transported in steel bottles in a compressed state. The bottles are generally cylindrical in shape and can weigh 130 pounds or more.
Generally, the gas bottles are moved from a storage facility to a vehicle such as a truck or van, which transports one or more of the gas bottles to the site where they are intended to be used. The gas bottles can be moved along level ground by means of wheeled dollies or hand trucks. However, loading a bottle into a truck or van presents a difficulty since the bottle generally has to be lifted and moved within a tight space.
Workers responsible for transporting the gas bottles often have to bend over to lift or move the gas bottle. This puts a great deal of stress on the musculoskeletal system of the body and can lead to injury, especially to the back, shoulders, and wrists of the worker.
Conventional hydraulic lifts used for loading cargo onto trucks and vans, such as typical lift gates, are often costly, bulky, and not well adapted for handling irregularly shaped items such as gas bottles and other cylinders. These lifts generally move only in a vertical manner and require the operator to lift or carry the cargo into the vehicle once the vertical lift has completed its path of travel. Accordingly, there is a need for an effective, inexpensive assist mechanism for loading/unloading cargo, such as gas bottles and drums, which can also be retrofitted to conventional trucks and vans.